What I Already Own vs Libib: which app to catalog your library?
Libib offers a generous free plan and lending tools for school or community libraries. What I Already Own is paid and built for collectors: the exact edition, what a series is missing, and a scan that answers without a signal.
Facts checked on September 28, 2026 on the publishers' official pages, numbered at the bottom of the page.
Try it free
7-day trial, then €3.95 a month or €39.95 a year.
In short
Go with Libib if you want a free catalog of up to 5,000 items, or if you manage lending. Go with What I Already Own if you collect books and records, want to know what your series are missing, and want to scan in a bookstore or at a flea market even without a signal: Libib works entirely online.
Side by side
| Criterion | What I Already Own | Libib |
|---|---|---|
| Price | What I Already Own€3.95 a month or €39.95 a year, tax included, after a 7-day trial. Books and records, on your phone and your computer. | LibibBasic is free. Pro: €9.00 a month or €99.00 a year, up to 100,000 items, purchased on the website, not in the apps.123 |
| Free plan | What I Already OwnNo. Without a subscription, your collection stays viewable and exportable. | LibibYes: Basic, with no card and no ads, up to 5,000 items and 100 collections, without lending.1 |
| Platforms | What I Already OwnAn app that installs on iPhone and Android from the browser, without the App Store or Google Play. On a computer, in the browser. | LibibWebsite, iOS and Android apps.1 |
| Barcode scanning | What I Already OwnISBN or barcode with the camera; when one barcode covers several editions, you pick yours. No barcode? Search by title. | LibibISBN, UPC and EAN with the camera, on every plan.14 |
| What you can catalog | What I Already OwnBooks and records (vinyl, CDs, cassettes). | LibibBooks, music, movies, video games and board games.5 |
| Market value | What I Already OwnNo market value shown at this time. You can record the price paid and the selling price. | LibibNo market value: a price field you fill in yourself.6 |
| Offline | What I Already OwnThe app knows without a signal whether you already own a book; scans made offline are processed once you're back online. | LibibNo: the app works entirely online.7 |
| Export and import | What I Already OwnCSV file, plus an inventory you can print or save as PDF. Imports CSV exports from Libib, Discogs and CLZ. | LibibCSV, one collection at a time; CSV file import.84 |
| Sharing and lending | What I Already OwnA private share link, with your wishlist if you like. No lending management. | LibibA public page for your library; lending, holds and borrowers with Pro.91 |
| Languages | What I Already OwnEnglish, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Japanese. | LibibWebsite in eight languages, including French and Japanese; iOS app in English.510 |
| Where the data comes from | What I Already OwnOpen Library, the French National Library (BnF), the national libraries of Spain, Japan and Taiwan, Wikidata; MusicBrainz and Discogs for records. Sources and licenses are published. | LibibRecords filled in automatically from the identifier; the sources are not named.4 |
What Libib does better
How What I Already Own is different
- A scan that answers without a signal. In a used bookstore or at a flea market, the app tells you whether the book is already on your shelf, even with no connection.
- The exact edition. When one barcode covers several editions, you pick yours; for a record, the pressing, country and label.
- What your series are missing. For every series and every author you've started, the app lists the volumes and books you don't have yet.
- Records with the same care: vinyl, CDs and cassettes, identified down to the pressing.
Try it free
7-day trial, then €3.95 a month or €39.95 a year.
Frequently asked questions
- Libib is free. Why pay for What I Already Own?
- If an online catalog is all you need, Libib Basic is a very good choice. What I Already Own is worth paying for if you collect: offline scanning, the exact edition, complete series and discographies, and your records alongside your books.
- How much does What I Already Own cost compared with Libib Pro?
- What I Already Own costs €3.95 a month or €39.95 a year, after a 7-day trial. Libib Pro costs €9.00 a month or €99.00 a year; Libib Basic is free.
- Does Libib work offline?
- No: according to its help pages, the Libib app works entirely online. What I Already Own recognizes the copies you already own without a signal, and processes offline scans once you're back online.
- What about a school or community library?
- Choose Libib: its paid plans manage borrowers, loans and holds. What I Already Own is built for a personal collection.
- Can I import my Libib library?
- Yes: export each collection as CSV from Libib, then drop the files into What I Already Own. Books and records are found by their ISBN or barcode, and each collection becomes a shelf. Films and games are left out.
The catalog, no account needed
The lists What I Already Own keeps up to date for you: discographies, bibliographies and reading orders.
Sources
Pages checked on September 28, 2026. Prices and plans change: confirm them with the publisher before you subscribe.
- 1Libib, pricinghttps://www.libib.com/pricing
- 2Libib, tarifs en euroshttps://www.libib.com/pricing?lang=fr
- 3Libib, Get Libib Prohttps://support.libib.com/getting-started/get-libib-pro.html
- 4Libib, Add itemshttps://support.libib.com/libib/website/add-items.html
- 5Libibhttps://www.libib.com/
- 6Libib, Item overviewhttps://support.libib.com/libib/website/library/item-overview.html
- 7Libib, Quickstart: mobile apphttps://support.libib.com/getting-started/quickstart-mobile-app.html
- 8Libib, Settingshttps://support.libib.com/libib/website/settings.html
- 9Libib, Publishhttps://support.libib.com/libib/website/publish.html
- 10Libib, App Storehttps://apps.apple.com/us/app/libib/id721908216
This page is published by What I Already Own, one of the apps compared. We review it every three months. Spotted an error or a fact that has changed? Write to us at [email protected].